"It's amazing. He's a terrific player and he's so strong. When I go out on the pitch and Antonio is in front of me it fills me with confidence. We have a very good relationship off the pitch as well - perhaps that helps during games," Rafael told manutd.com.

Asked about David Beckham and Gary Neville's partnership down the right in the 90s, he added: "Of course, and I hope me and Antonio can have the same success at United. To play together for almost 10 years here would be incredible and I'm sure we could have a lot of success. It would be a dream to develop a partnership as good as that one. I like the fact that Neville and Beckham were good friends as well."